A new home for the Society
At Grantham Dramatic Society we’re thrilled to have made our home in a former pub and indoor market on Westgate.
For 15 years, GDS operated out of the Old Malthouse in Grantham; however poor access, limited space and facilities, and a growing membership made finding new premises a priority for us.
After considering a variety of properties over several years, GDS’s committee developed a strong relationship with local property owner Buckminster, and identified the former ‘Market Café’ and indoor market as a potential home. GDS proposed that the building should be split, creating a café at the front, and a separate premises at the rear for us. A new chapter opened for GDS, and hopefully for the arts scene in Grantham.
This new space has so many benefits for us, from a large kitchen space for our social and fundraising events, to a rehearsal area that’s large enough to replicate the stage at the Guildhall Arts Centre where we mainly perform. Our vision is to open the space up to other arts, performing and music groups for low-cost hire, creating a hub for the visual and performing arts in the area. Eventually, we even hope to put on performances of our own here.
Buckminster has a long-standing commitment to the development of Grantham’s town centre and the community as a whole and have been a fantastic support to GDS – we’d like to offer them our sincere thanks.
We need your support!
We’re very proud to be the only arts group in the town to have our own premises, but it comes with a lot of hard work, fundraising and maintaining the space. And with this new premises we have the added costs of the extensive renovations needed to bring this vacant building into use. Our members have been working tirelessly to get renovation works underway but there is a huge amount still to do, and we’re hoping that the community will get behind us.
We’ve made a good start but need funding urgently to enable us to continue our programme of vital renovation work to 85 Westgate.
How you can help:
- Cheques made payable to Grantham Dramatic Society can be sent to us at R/O 85 Westgate, Grantham, NG31 6LE.
- We’re collecting spare change and leftover foreign currency – even if it’s no longer legal tender, such as pre-Euro currency.
- Own a business? Talk to us about sponsorship opportunities – email [email protected]
- Got skills to share or want to get involved with the renovation work? Get in touch.
Once the first stages of the renovations have been completed we’re planning to hold a drop-in opening event, to which anyone interested in the project will be invited.
Engaging in the arts can help people develop skills, build their confidence and reduce isolation. Plus, research shows it can even be good for your health! Supporting us will help us – and other groups – to spread these benefits to more people.
We always welcome new members and encourage people of all backgrounds who are interested in being creative and making new friends to get in touch! Many of our members have moved to Grantham and formed strong friendship circles through GDS.
Interested in hiring our space? Get in touch to find out more!